Luther is extremely easy to read: stimulating, amusing and clear. It could not be easier to engage with the man himself. Timothy Lullís anthology, Martin Lutherís Basic Theological Writings (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989) contains an excellent collection of the most important works.

Lutherís Letters of Spiritual Counsel, in the Library of Christian Classics series (Vancouver: Regent College, 2003), and Table Talk, both easily available, add some of the best vignettes of insight into the humanity of the man himself.

There are two books of essential reading in the secondary literature. The first is Roland Baintonís classic biography of Luther, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (Nashville: Abingdon, 1950). Though published in 1950, it is still an addictive read, and also attractively illustrated with contemporary woodcut illustrations.

The other is Paul Althausí The Theology of Martin Luther, trans. R. C. Schultz (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1966). It remains the best single-volume overview of Lutherís theology, but is worth reading just for the material on sin and justification, irrespective of relevance to Luther himself!